Former Indian batter Abhishek Nayar has cautioned against giving Jasprit Bumrah captaincy in all formats due to potential overburdening. Nayar’s view counters former India wicketkeeper-batter Kiran More’s endorsement of Bumrah’s multi-format captaincy.
Bumrah made his T20I captaincy debut on Friday, leading India to a 2-run win over Ireland. He had earlier led India in the rescheduled fifth Test against England last year.
Nayar said that Bumrah is a good captain but that he should not be given full-time captaincy in all formats. He cited the example of Pat Cummins, who led Australia in the Ashes last year and was injured during the series.
His comments come after former India wicketkeeper batter Kiran More said that Bumrah would make a good captain across all three formats.
“He must be appointed captain as he is an excellent game thinker. He has the potential to be a future Test captain in all formats. I’ve always believed that fast bowlers make good captains,” More remarked following India’s victory against Ireland in Dublin.
Nayar, on the other hand, urged otherwise, citing Bumrah’s recent track record with injuries, including nearly missing out on the ICC ODI World Cup 2023 due to a back injury.
“It depends on his physical condition. We saw that with Pat Cummins during the Ashes. I think it can be taxing to bowl, play all formats, and then lead, which is why we see batters taking over the mantle,” Nayar said.
“You can’t have Jasprit Bumrah get injured while doing that. It makes sense for T20Is. It makes sense for longer formats, but I’d just say save him and retain him for key events and make sure we don’t overburden and overuse him. Allow him to enjoy his game because captaincy prevents you from enjoying your game,” he concluded.